SC Bill Would Ban Abortions After 19 Weeks

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A House panel is considering a bill banning abortions in South Carolina beyond the 19th week of pregnancy.

The proposed legislation states that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks old. Doctors who disregard the ban could be charged with a felony.

Republican Rep. Wendy Nanney of Greenville says as a mother of five children, she wants to protect children from pain.

Doctors with the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say supporters are looking only at studies that support their conclusion, while other reviews have found a fetus does not feel pain before 24 weeks.

The American Civil Liberties Union calls the bill an unconstitutional political interference in a women's private medical decision.